I am a Burmese exile taking a near-permanent refuge in New York and Sydney. Here are my essays about Burma and anything else I feel like writing about. And posting the articles I like from selected sites. Bridging Burma to the world this Blog is more of a Politically-Oriented Literary Blog than a Plain News Blog or a Sophisticated Thoughts Blog.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Fake Buddhist Monks Terrorising New Yorkers

Fake Buddhist monks are the new
squeegee men of New York? They’re holy terrors. Bands of beggars dressed like
Buddhist monks have invaded the High Line and other city parks, demanding
upwards of $40 from tourists — and officials are fed up.

One High Line visitor handed over $5
last week, but it wasn’t good enough. “He tried to get $20,” she told The Post.
Another monk’s zen demeanor dissolved after he got just a buck in exchange for
the cheap plastic bracelet he proffered. “Five dollar, five dollar,” he
demanded. He would not explain what the money was used for.

The behavior of the phony ­Himalayan
holy men has been anything but heavenly in Bryant Park. One was spotted last
week swiping a plastic water bottle from a clueless sidewalk vendor. Other faux
friars were spotted on smoking breaks, trying to hide the unchaste behavior
near a subway entrance. Two napped on library ledges.

The masquerading monks are largely
Chinese nationals who return to Flushing flophouses with their day’s earnings,
sometimes changing out of their robes on the subway, before gathering at a
local restaurant for a meal that usually includes alcohol, according to one
observer.

Real Buddhist monks typically shun
toxins including cigarettes and alcohol. “I’d be shocked if any of them are
really Buddhist monks,” said Dan Biederman, the head of the Bryant Park
Corporation. In fact, some use the park’s restrooms to change into their
orange, brown or gray robes ­before heading out; khakis and Nike sneakers could
be seen beneath the supposed religious garb.

Mock monks have cropped up around the
world and have become a recent fixture in Times Square. They invaded parks as
the weather got warmer, appearing on the High Line around April. “We recognize that this is an issue and
we are in discussions with the NYC Parks Department to address the matter,”
said Martin Nembhard, vice president of park operations for Friends of the High
Line, the nonprofit that operates the park for the city. “In the meantime, we
encourage anyone who is approached in this manner to immediately report it to a
Parks Department ­officer on site.”

The Parks Department would only say
that “individuals who violate Parks rules, which prohibit aggressive
panhandling, trespassing, and vandalism, may be subject to a summons from the
Parks Enforcement Patrol.” The NYPD has made no recent arrests.

While authentic monks traditionally
carry a “beggar’s bowl” to receive gifts of food and money, they would not
aggressively ask for cash, said the Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, president of the
Buddhist Council of New York, who said the fakers are disrespecting the faith.

“People trust the robe simply because
those are monks who practice the teachings, share happiness to the people,”
Nakagaki said. “If they shake hands and wear the robe, it really disrespects
the Buddhists themselves.”